The Olympics: A Critical Reader

The Olympic Games are a modern international sports extravaganza with an ancient history. Today's Olympic Games have an importance reaching far beyond the four-yearly festival of competitive athletics, with a constant presence in the public consciousness and a significant impact on social policy and politics, business, economics and the media.&;lt;BR&;gt;&;lt;BR&;gt;The Olympics: A Critical Reader represents a unique, critical guide to the definitive sporting mega-event and the wider phenomenon it represents -Olympism.&;lt;BR&;gt;&;lt;BR&;gt;Each thematic part has been designed to include a range of views, including background treatment of an issue as well as critical scholarship, to ensure that students develop a well-rounded understanding of the Olympic phenomenon. The Olympics: A Critical Reader is essential reading for students of the Olympics and Olympism, the sociology of sport, sport management and cultural studies.